Franchise newcomer Sonya Cassidy plays Susan Duffy in Reacher Season 3, a special agent for the DEA who works out of the Boston Field Office. As mentioned, she comes from the capital of Massachusetts so viewers expect to hear a solid Boston accent.
Cassidy is British, so she had to learn and practice speaking with the said tone. Unfortunately, many fans weren’t thrilled about it despite her efforts to bring authenticity to her character. Boston accent, after all, is one of the hardest to master.
Reacher fans couldn’t get past Susan Duffy’s Boston accent
Sonya Cassidy is known for her roles in British period dramas, so taking on the challenge of starring in Reacher while channeling an unfamiliar accent was her biggest career venture so far.
Of course, she came prepared for this: the actress revealed she looked into Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Mark Wahlberg for some inspiration. She even took lessons from clips of real-life crime boss Whitey Bulger. Cassidy spoke with TV Line and said: “None of what Duffy says would sound right in my like, “Oh, helloooo!” British accent and way of being. But they asked for Boston and I tried to give them Boston.”
This was quite impressive given how she never tried speaking the accent before. While she learned it from listening to a lot of audio clips, she also worked with a dialect coach to make it sound as natural and believable as possible.
Cassidy noted that embracing the accent helps her get into the psyche of Susan Duffy, stating that it helps bring out her tough side by just the way she speaks. She tried not to overdo it, although it seemed like a lot of viewers were not completely convinced by her Boston accent. Some fans expressed their frustration on Reddit, claiming it’s the worst they have heard, while others think she’s forcing it. Read their thoughts below:
Possibly the worst Boston accent I’ve ever heard
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It’s a shame that despite the actress’ brilliant acting, her accent stood out too much for some fans that it affected their enjoyment of the show.
Sonya Cassidy was worried about her accent in Reacher
Despite her rigorous preparation, Cassidy was still worried she would not be able to pull off her Boston accent properly. In her conversation with Screen Time (via Express), she expressed her love for accents and admitted that “Boston was always going to be a challenge.”
She also resolved not to make it very distracting. Sadly, not even her partnership with Alan Ritchson in the show and their chemistry together could save the show from criticism about her Boston accent.
Reacher is currently available to watch on Prime Video.
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